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Wednesday, 29 February 2012

Personal Freedom

Personal Freedom

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and
where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:17

You were bought at a price; do
not become slaves of men. 1 Corinthians 7:23

I never submitted the whole
system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever, in religion, in
philosophy, in politics or in anything else, where I was capable of thinking for
myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent.. –
Thomas Jefferson Letter To Francis Hopkinson, Paris Mar. 13, 1789i

"Under the law of nature, all men
are born free, every one comes into the world with a right to his own person,
which includes the liberty of moving and using it at his own will. This is what
is called personal liberty, and is given him by the Author of nature, because
necessary for his own sustenance." --Thomas Jefferson: Legal Argument, 1770.

"What is true of every member of
the society, individually, is true of them all collectively; since the rights of
the whole can be no more than the sum of the rights of the individuals."
--Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1789.

In my opinion there has been no
one who has advocated personal freedom in world like Thomas Jefferson about whom
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia states :

Jefferson, Thomas (1743-1826),
third president of the United States (1801-1809) and author of the Declaration
of Independence. He was one of the most brilliant men in history. His interests
were boundless, and his accomplishments were great and varied. He was a
philosopher, educator, naturalist, politician, scientist, architect, inventor,
pioneer in scientific farming, musician, and writer, and he was the foremost
spokesman for democracy of his day.

Thomas Jefferson lived and fought
for personal freedom and rights of each individual and so should we. Although
Jesus Christ has made believers kings and priests to His God and Father,
(Revelations 1:6, 5:10) many including leadership in the house of God have a
demonic inspired idea that they were called to rule over the sheep. But we have
no king or priest over us except Jesus Christ the LORD. He is our only LORD,
King and Priest.

Unfortunately down through the years we have run into
many pastors who had a hidden agenda of taking care for number one and didn‘t
have the best interests of the sheep. Rather than being a servant like Jesus and
laying down their lives for the sheep they actual took the lives of the sheep
especially their hard earned money and talents and spent it all on themselves
and their families.

Most of these kinds of pastors
were very good talkers, knew more about the bible than their sheep, were friends
of other pastors who did the same thing that they did and would not disclose
their salaries and those of their family members. They believed they were only
accountable to God and no other even though their money didn‘t come from God but
from the sheep! As a result I don‘t trust most pastors be they on TV or in a
local church! God‘s word is unchanging:

I wrote to the church, but
Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.
Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating
against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not
receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the
church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good
is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has a good testimony
from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that
our testimony is true. 3 John 1:9-12

Spiritual abuse is very common in
churches in North America and British Isles by those whose spiritual authority
doesn‘t come from God but is their own invention. Due to insecurity the leader
uses his religious position to control or dominate another person and uses
negative words and actions to bring about submission both doctrinal and
physical.

Many leaders spend a lot of time
focusing on their own authority and reminding others of it because they cannot
demonstrate authority, spiritual power, and credibility by their lives and
message. They believe that the members are there to meet the needs of the leader
and not the reverse! It‘s very stupid to simply receive and act upon a spiritual
directive because you are ‗supposed to be submissive‘, or because someone is ‗in
authority.‘ God alone is our Lord and to Him we give account and not to a mortal
men who are here today and gone tomorrow. The clergy was not created to rule
over the laity.

Any leadership that advocates a
particular doctrine or view point to remain in good standing with the particular
religious group is dangerous to our spiritual health and physical sanity. And
when they restore to ‗scare tactics‘ or intimidation of any sort such as ― The
Lord told me things about you‖ or ―God will curse you if you leave our
group‖ they are deceived ones deceiving others. Any group that
practices publicly shaming, exposing, or threatening to remove people from the
group is already defeated and is part of Satan‘s army. Mind you I have known
people who have ‗removed‘ for asking too many questions, for disobeying the
unspoken rules, or for disagreeing with authority. Yes, people are made public
examples in order to send a message to those who remain. But God‘s word is
unchanging:

The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

The lips of the righteous feed
many, But fools die for lack of wisdom. Proverbs 10:21

In Burlington, Ontario, Canada,
Park Bible Church was a very rich and large church of 1,000 members in a
beautiful expense structure situated on the hill overlooking the city that could
be seen by everybody. It was composed of bible-believing Christians who loved
the Lord and were active in witnessing and helping their community. But the
Pastor became abusive and totalitarian. Deacons and many others members were
asked to leave when they confronted the pastor about his specific
idiosyncrasies. As a result, many people were

deeply hurt; the church membership went down to 300 and
the pastor moved back to the States.

In January 2004, the churches in
the area were asked to meet and pray at Park Bible Church for reconciliation and
healing as many people were scared and disillusioned in the church. The sad part
was that it was one of the richest churches in the community with very educated
and rich members in it and still it was not exempt from the abuses of a
benevolent dictator, the senior pastor. The tragedy is that many abusive pastors
don‘t see that they are abusive even though the ―Policy Manual of Carpenter‘s
Home Church, Lakeland, Florida,‖ written by the senior pastor stated:

A congregation must be a planting
of the Lord not a secular military base with a benevolent dictator. All Contact
with the Public or with employees must reflect the philosophy of the
administrator or the Senior Pastor, as he understands the character of
Jesus‖ (Page 15, Summary)

Just because a pastor is well
educated (Bob Jones University) and well versed in scriptures like Senior Pastor
Karl Strader, who personally picked and fired his board of directors at will,
was, doesn‘t mean he wasn‘t abusive or dictatorial. (Mind you the CHC which once
had around five thousand members and was built for ten thousand now doesn't
belong any more to Karl Strader.)

The religious and political
leaders of Jesus day were quite educated but Jesus still called them fools and
blind ones (Matthew 23:17,19). In other words just because a man is educated
doesn‘t mean he is not a fool especially if he doesn‘t acknowledge that ―The
fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.‖

Unfortunately for them even many
of God‘s people are fools because they despise wisdom and instruction from
others. They feel their special position as pastor, preacher, church leader,
choir member or church usher has made above reproach and they are accountable to
no one but God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer put his finger on one of the greatest
dangers to the modern society including the church.

Every personality cult that is
concerned with important qualities, outstanding abilities, strengths, and the
talents of someone else—even though these may be thoroughly spiritual in
nature—is worldly and has no place in the Christian community. Indeed, it
poisons that community. The demand one hears so often today for . . . ―powerful
personalities‖ springs too often from the spiritually sick need for
the admiration of people, for the erection of visible structures of human
authority, because the genuine authority of service seems too unimportant (Life
Together, p. 108).

The Word of God encourages us to
have the attitude in ourselves Christ Jesus had including that nothing be done
through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind we are each to
esteem others better than ourselves. And we are to look out not only for our own
interests, but also for the interests of others. God‘s word is unchanging:

Therefore if there is any
consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit,
if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same
love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish
ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than
himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for
the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in

Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not
consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation,
taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being
found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the
point of death, even the death of the cross.

Therefore God also has highly
exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and
of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:1-11

Many seek the ruler's favor, But
justice for man comes from the LORD. Proverbs 29:26

Jesus wasn't predictable. He
didn't ask His disciples to sacrifice their wages to build a bigger house for
Himself, nor did He merely talk a good line. He healed blind eyes and withered
limbs, and raised the dead. He walked on water and calmed stormy seas. Over and
over, in so many ways, He showed Himself worthy of a following--not just by
talking about faith and self-sacrifice and the endtimes, but by the miracles He
did. He proved He was God's sacrifice for our sins when, after voluntarily
allowing Himself to be nailed to an executioner's cross, He rose bodily from the
dead to show that He was King of kings and Lord of lords. As part of His legacy,
He left a band of disciples who were willing to live and die for their testimony
that together they had seen Him alive after His resurrection. Together they bore
witness to One whose teaching and example has become the measure of those who
are dangerous and those who are not. ii

Spiritual abuse is quite common
in many churches in America. When spiritual abuse takes place in any
congregation it is time to go. No one should ever be spiritually abused. We all
know of pastors who abuse and we know a lot of pastors who are emotionally and
spiritually abused by congregations. And many righteous ones with the wisdom
that God has given them have protested about spiritual abuse and the rights of
the sheep such as Rev. Jack Cascione, The Voters' Assembly Is Invested With
Authority from God, who stated:

'Thus writes St. Paul (1 Cor.
3:21-23): ‗Therefore let no one glory in men. For all things are yours: whether
Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or
things to come-all are yours. And you are Christ's and Christ is God's.' From
this [passage] we learn that all things that even Paul and Peter had were only
treasures from the jewel room of the believing Christians or of the church."
("Church and Ministry" C.F.W. Walther, 1851, CPH 1982, page 50)

"However, this equality of
believers is abrogated and the church is changed into a secular organization if
a minister demands obedience not only to the Word of Christ, his one Lord and
Head and that of all Christians, but also to what his own insight and experience
regard as good and suitable. As soon, therefore, as adiaphora or things
indifferent, that is things that are neither commanded nor forbidden in God's
Word, come in question in the church, a minister may never demand absolute
obedience to what merely appears to him to be best" ("Church and Ministry"
C.F.W. Walther, 1851, CPH 1982, page 312)

"It follows from these statements
of Scripture that the congregation of believers enjoys a sovereignty under
Christ which are not to be restricted or limited in any way. Christians may not
be made subject to a minister or a priest, because they are all ministers and
priests in their own right who have the privilege of approaching God directly. "
("The Abiding Word", Alfred von Rohr Sauer, Volume III, CPH 1947 page 306)

"As such they (congregations)
possessed all the gifts and rights of the Church which Christ has bestowed upon
it. Specifically, the function of the Christian congregation is to

administer the means of grace in its midst and to serve
in this world for the conversion of the sinner to God. This is nothing else than
the administration of the keys of the Kingdom. (Matt. 18:17-20; "Tell it to the
church"; Matt. 16:19, John 20:22-23, "Whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall
be loosed in heaven.")....The church, therefore functions as the administrator
of the office of the keys of the Kingdom." ("The Abiding Word", Richard Klan,
Volume III, CPH 1947 page 383)

Yes, Christians may not be made
subject to a minister or a priest, because they are all ministers and priests in
their own right who have the privilege of approaching God directly. Apostle Paul
taught that ―there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should
have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members
suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 1 Corinthians
12:25-27). In other words in the eyes of God and in the words of Jesus we are
all brethren and no one except the Lord has the right to rule over another
Christian. Chuck Swindoll, author, pastor, seminary president, once talked about
the six traps in ministry including Authoritarianism, Exclusiveness, Greed,
Rationalization, Sensuality and Unaccountability:

1)Authoritarianism is the lack of
a servant‘s heart. This is when the leadership has gone wild with a tyrannical,
oppressive pride. Don‘t suppress God‘s people. Respect them and encourage them
to be all God wants them to be. Don‘t abuse God‘s people. Christ is Lord, not
the pastor or anyone else in His church.

2) Exclusiveness is the ―I (or
we) alone are all right.‖ ―Only we have the truth, or the best
program.‖ It constantly stresses the idea that we are the only
people God uses. No one else is as good, doctrinally correct, blessed of God,
filled with the Spirit, etc. God has blessed me, or our group as the elite
Christians. The emphasis is on our distinctiveness, denominational pride,
selective doctrine, a special revelation or anointing from God, etc. The leader
promotes a clannish, cultic following, clicks, etc. The truth is in God‘s grace
there are no favorites. God does not play favorites with anyone. We are saved by
grace alone. There are no second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God.

3) Greed is the money crazy
theme. How much do you harp on money? What is your motive? Even building
yourself a name for a church with a big budget falls prey to this abuse. As a
pastor I don‘t handle money. Let someone else do it. The church assigns a group
of people to count the money, the treasurer writes the checks and an audit
committee checks the books. Don‘t even find out who gives the most or how
frequently they give in your church. How do you handle money that people hand to
you and say use it were the greatest need is? Do you continue asking for money
after you know you have all the funds you need for a certain project?

4) Rationalization is the effort
to justify wrong with a defensive spirit. Are you quick to gloss over personal
sin, make excuses or lie about it? Are you over emphasizing or underemphasizing
some area of purity? What areas and why?

5) Sensuality is how I handle
sex. Treat all women in all purity. Stay away from any compromise or even the
smell of smoke. Don‘t become too familiar with the opposite sex, or your own
sex. Stay away from all appearance of evil. Live a pure life.

6) Unaccountability is the idea I
answer only to God and no one else. As a pastor and a member of my church I am
always accountability to someone. I am accountable to the deacons, the deacons
are accountable to the church, and the church is accountable to one another.
Beware of the secretive, ―I am accountable only to God and I answer to no one
else.‖ No one is above accountability. Receive the
confrontation of friends and mentors and remind yourself that only observed
behavior changes.

The apostle in Philippians 2:5-11
is stressed the remedy to spiritual abuse in modern society. His emphasis was on
the character of God that is seen in selfless service and

obedience to Christ and others.
Jesus Christ is our perfect example of obedient service. His attitude runs
counter to the human tendency to dominate and control others for personal gain.
―Think in this way,‖ Paul says, ―just as Jesus Christ thought in this
way.‖ That is the best safeguard we can have in the way we
handle life. Follow the example of Christ‘s selflessness, humility and
obedience. On various occasions Paul has used Christ‘s behavior as an example
for believers‘ lifestyle (Rom. 15:3-9; 2 Cor. 8:9; Eph. 5:1-2; Col. 3:3ff; 1
Tim. 6:13-16). Paul normally puts the emphasis on living the Christian life in
the believer‘s union with Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Rom.
6:1-14; 1 Cor.6:11-20; Col. 3:1-4; Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 2:16-20; 5:16-26). But here
he tells us not only to imitate the model of Christ. But ―Let this mind be in
you which was also in Christ Jesus.‖ We need to yield and submit to Christ and the wonderful
Holy Spirit daily so that the life of Christ might be lived out through us and
not our life.

J. Hudson Taylor English
missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission made the English
term "exchanged life" popular through his testimony of how God made him a new
man. (Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret, page 154.) The word "exchanged" is used
to signify that God has made it possible for us to exchange our total
insufficiency to live the Christian life for Christ's total sufficiency to live
it through us. He did this by exchanging our old identity in Adam for our new
identity in Christ and by uniting our newborn spirit with His (I Corinthians
6:17; Galatians 2:20). The term "exchanged life" is related to the believer's
discovery of his identity in Christ: that is he is a new creation, one born of
God, that he is not what he was before. It is time that we rediscover and
practice the truth that ―I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I
who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for
me.‖ Yes, we are to let Christ live His life in and through
us and we will not be foolish ones who die for lack of wisdom. God‘s word is
unchanging:

I now rejoice in my sufferings
for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ,
for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister
according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill
the Word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from
generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make
known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which
is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and
teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in
Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which
works in me mightily. Colossians 1:24-29